Music for a consort of viols is mostly associated with England.
That was already the case in the early 17th century. In 1639
the French cleric Abbé Maugars published a book on the
music scene in Italy. When he visited Rome he was suprised by
the almost complete absence of gambists, and he emphasized the
strong contrast with England, which he had visited shortly before.
As late as the the early 18th century the viola da gamba was
still linked with England. When Vivaldi composed parts for gambas
in some of his works he referred to them as viole all'inglese.

This disc sheds light on an aspect of Italian music of the early
17th century which is largely ignored. Despite Maugars' observations
the viola da gamba was played in Rome. The title of this disc
refers to Cardinal Francesco Barberini, a nephew of Pope Urban
VIII. In his capacity as Papal secretary he undertook various
diplomatic missions to foreign countries. The presence of an
ensemble of gambas in his entourage is well documented. The
cardinal's maestro di cappella, Virginio Mazzocchi, purchased
several collections of music which were suitable to be played
by a consort of viols. His brother Domenico dedicated a collection
of madrigals to the Cardinal, and he specifically refers to
the viol consort. He included parts for viols, but left it to
the taste of the performers to sing the madrigals a cappella
or with instruments. In this recording Oh se poteste mai
is performed with voices and instruments, whereas Chiudeste
i lumi, Armida is performed instrumentally.

Francesco Barberini wasn't the only aristocrat in Rome who had
a viol consort. His brother Antonio, also a Cardinal, owned
an ensemble of six viols himself. Some composers used viols
in their vocal works, such as Marco Marazzoli. An interesting
figure is Cherubino Waesich, probably of Flemish or German origin.
He published the only collection of music for viols which has
survived from this time in Rome, the Canzoni a cinque
of 1632. It includes 16 canzonas for viols and two madrigals
for voices with a consort of viols. Their technical level indicates
that they were intended for professional players. In the two
madrigals the gambas don't just play colla voce, but
have independent parts and play sometimes without the voices
in the ritornelli.

Waesich added to the title of his collection da sonarsi con
le viole da gamba, indicating that these pieces were specifically
intended for a consort of viols. The other music on this disc
was either written for organ or for an instrumental ensemble
without further specification. The former is the case with the
five pieces from the collection Fiori Musicali by Girolamo
Frescobaldi which open this disc. The viol consort is best suited
to play polyphonic music in which all parts are treated equally.
That explains that it played only a marginal role in the early
17th century in Italy, with its prominence of virtuosic music
in the monodic style. In keyboard music counterpoint still played
a major role, and that is certainly the case with Frescobaldi's
oeuvre. These five organ pieces, intended for the liturgy and
taken from two of Frescobaldi's organ masses, work pretty well
in a performance with a viol consort. The two ricercares by
Palestrina are also intended for the organ. They are two of
eight ricercares in the various modes, the only instrumental
music from Palestrina's pen.

The two canzonas by Frescobaldi and the Ballo IV by Kapsberger
are written for instruments the choice of which is left to the
performer. The former's canzonas are from a collection which
appeared in Rome in 1628. Both are based on a basso ostinato,
a practice which was very popular at the time. Giovanni Girolamo
Kapsberger, of German birth, was the most celebrated theorbo
player of his time and moved among the highest circles in Rome.
He almost exclusively composed music for his own instrument.
Only two collections of instrumental pieces in four parts are
known from him. The Ballo IV is from the collection Libro
primo di Balli, Gagliarde et Correnti of 1615. This ballo
comprises four movements: Uscita, Ballo, Gagliarda and Corrente.

As a kind of encore the disc ends with a keyboard sonata by
Domenico Scarlatti. It has nothing to do with the viol consort
of Francesco Barberini. In Scarlatti's time the viol consort
had sunk into oblivion. The performers just want to show that
some keyboard music, because of its polyphonic character, is
suitable for a consort of viols to play. We are inclined to
think that Scarlatti's sonatas are virtuosic showpieces, and
many of them are. However his corpus of keyboard music also
contains some more introverted sonatas which are sometimes played
at the organ. These can also be played by an instrumental ensemble.
The Sonata in b minor (K 87) is a wonderful example.
It has no tempo indication but its character suggests an andante,
and that is how it is played here. It is a beautuful ending
of an intensely interesting disc.

I assume that the music by Waesich and probably also the pieces
by Mazzocchi have been recorded here for the very first time.
The interest lies not only in their scoring but also in the
quality of the music. Mazzocchi was one of the main composers
of his time in Rome. Recently I reviewed his opera La
Catena d'Adone and the pieces on this disc confirm his
stature. The music of Waesich - who is not mentioned in New
Grove - is also of high quality and I would like to hear
more from him. The playing of the Ensemble Mare Nostrum is superb
throughout. It produces a beautiful and warm sound, with great
transparency. The perfect phrasing and articulation and the
subtle dynamic shading make this music really breathe. Vox Luminis
sing only three items, and they do so in a very expressive manner.
The blending of the voices and the viols is immaculate.

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